Last year I had the opportunity of a lifetime to be in the live studio audience of April Bowles-Olin’s CreativeLive course on creating digital products. I learned so much about how and why to create digital products, plus I made some awesome new friends. I even sold my very first online course this past summer and doubled my income in six months, all thanks to what I’ve learned from April!
Is it any wonder that I’m heading back to be in the audience again?
Tomorrow I am taking another flight across country to beautiful San Francisco to attend April’s newest course on Creative Marketing. (If you haven’t RSVP’d, I’d totally recommend it! You will get April’s course workbook and access to the Facebook Group!)
The excitement is definitely building up, along with a wee bit of nerves.
I know that this course is going to rock as much if not more than her last course did. I’m sure this course will also challenge and stretch me.
Oh, and did I mention that I created a super cool bonus PDF that you can get if you purchase the course. I’m so hyped that April allowed me the opportunity to share some of my expertise in this way.
As for what I am excited to learn, there are 3 major areas that I know I’m going to be writing ferociously down in my notebook while sitting in the audience. Here they are:
- How to write in my brand voice-
I know a lot about Branding, but having a unique Brand Voice (one that is a reflection of myself) is hard to develop if you don’t take the time. I’ve been working on my writing for a while now, but my voice is still a “baby” at this point and needs some extra TLC to grow and flourish. I’ve been working with the talented Kris from With A K Writing, and I am starting to trust that I am a capable writer but that I just need some daily free writing practice to improve my writing.
During the segments that involve writing and trusting your voice, I am so going to be writing notes like a fiend.
2. Kickin’ my email marketing plan into full gear-
I am going to be completely transparent here…I did not have an email list until after I had been in business for over a year! Yikes. This seriously is one of the biggest mistakes I’ve made in my online business.
Now, I have an email list but I still feel so unsure of what to send out. I’m super paranoid about people not liking what I have to say, that I just don’t say anything at all. And when I get an unsubscribe, dude! my feelings get hurt. I turn it on myself and think “What am I doing wrong?” I know that April has a wealth of knowledge for us in this area, so I’m looking forward to it.
3. How to move past the perfectionism syndrome that likes to keep me stuck-
So, I am pretty sure that this is something that I need to tackle on my own, but I know that April’s creative approach to marketing is about what works best for you, your business and your brand. I think that sometimes we just need someone to come along and say things in a unique way for it to click in our heads.
I’m thinking that a creative approach that allows me to do what is best for me and skip all the unnecessary things that people say you HAVE to do, will get me past my perfectionism. Coming up with a plan that I take joy in completing each day will be what I focus on learning here.
I am beyond stoked!
What about you? What are you dying to learn about marketing? Please tell me in the comments below. I will be there in the studio audience cheering you along to success!
This post is a part of the Double Your Followers blog tour to spread the word about April Bowles-Olin’s upcoming CreativeLive course. Does hearing the word ‘marketing’ make your armpits start to drip with anxiety? Are you terrified of sounding salesy or like you have the personality of a dead blowfish? If so, come join me and 2,500+ entrepreneurs who’re taking April’s latest CreativeLive course, Double Your Followers with Creative Marketing. You can RSVP and watch for FREE. Yep, free. High fives, wildflowers, wine samples. Who doesn’t love free? #bellelive
Nice to meet you Amanda! :-) I remember you from April’s last course and I’m looking forward to her bootcamp and to getting to know more creative biz people!
Flavia! I remember your name, as well. Are you super excited for the bootcamp! Glad to have you on the journey with me.
How fun to be in the audience! I like your comparison of your voice to a baby that just needs to grow. There’s so many things that we just want to instantly happen, but they do take some practice and learning to do them well.
Yes! I don’t know how many times that I’ve put the expectation on myself to be an expert in something before any foundation has been set. I have written academically for so many years that my voice is muddied with that stale academic feeling. By free writing on a daily basis, I have been able to start to see my own voice begin to merge, again!
I’d love to hear April talk about those topics, too! I really need to get better at my email program, too. My list is still small, but I’d like to get more (or course). Can’t wait for the class!
Erika- I’m so there with you! Email marketing feels so hard for me. I think I just overthink it! I know April’s tips are totally going to help.
#3!! Same! Perfectionism holds us back more that it helps us!
Jamie- Yes!!! I know that perfectionism holds me back, yet I fall back into that mindset all the time. Do you do anything to move past the perfectionism?
Amanda,
You are going to go far, this post was well written and easy to read. Wish I could meet you in person at the studio, I was planning to go, but I had the opportunity to go to a workshop for writing kid’s books.
Almost everyone in the studio audience is from our group who took April’s course last March. That just shows how that course has paid off, and what good friends we’ve made.
Have fun!
Thanks! Your opportunity to go to the kid’s book workshop sounds like an amazing experience! I can’t wait to hear more about it.
Hopefully next time you’ll get the opportunity to come and join us in the studio audience. It’s been such a great experience. :)
Of course I am jealous of you getting to go hang out in the studio audience and with April AGAIN! Lucky lady! I know you have tons of great info to share in regards to web stuff, so I’m really considering an anytime access purchase if for no other reason than to get your bonus PDF! I need all the help with my site that I can get! As far as the class goes, I really need to work on a brand voice as well. I don’t know why this is so hard for me, but it is. I’m hoping to learn some great things and come out of the course with a much better plan than I currently have for marketing – which is to say that I hope to actually HAVE a plan!
Yes, so totally blessed to have been able to be there in the live studio audience (yet again)! I have learned so much through all of April’s courses that I felt that I would have been majorly missing out if I’d not been there.
A clear plan is really where you have to start when it comes to branding. I love how in April’s course she starts you out with the foundation of knowing your ideal client and builds upon that. You can do this, lady! I’m in your corner! Let me know if you have any questions.
I’m so excited about April’s bootcamp too. She’s amazing! :) I’ve noticed that the more consistent I am with my newsletter, the more sales I get.
Yes! I need that consistency. I’ll be working on that moving forward. Thanks, Sage! Hope you’re doing well.
I can totally relate to you on #2, although I DO have an email list, I am reluctant when it comes to bombarding people with email …now I know I have to adopt a different approach, so I’ll sit and waatch the course and see how I can change things for the better!
I’ve worried about the same thing Maria! April does a great job of helping us to remember that people sign up for the list for a reason! :) Hope you are getting a lot out of the course.
That’s awesome that you got such amazing results from April’s last course! Really speaks to what you can get out of a course if you put in the effort and commit. I’m super pumped about working through this bootcamp and I’m right there with you about the perfectionism syndrome. I can easily keep tweaking and tweaking instead of getting any actual “real” work done!
Yes! April has helped me to see what the weak parts of my business were in the past and focus in on those things to make my business better. And I’m so with you on the tweaking! :)
Love seeing all your creative ideas on April’s class!
Aww thanks! :)
I was able to watch a few sessions of April’s Marketing Course. I’ve been following her advice for years, and slowly it’s getting into my brain. There’s a lot to think about, but I do little things at time, so it won’t overwhelm me. What did you learn from this Marketing Course?
April is the best, huh?! I have learned so much from this course. I really liked the lesson on autoresponders and segmenting that aired this week. I am trying to get all of my automation set up now. It’s a task, but it seems like it’s very worthwhile. Thanks for stopping by Lisa!
Amanda – the course is amazing but I was also so in love with your website makeover. Way to go using your design skills and talents to make someone else’s talent shine! I hope you are planning on doing a before and after post or page here.
That’s such a great idea to share it here, Amber! I’ll work on that.